[Piano v3] Chapter 1: Chorus Contest of the Queen (Part 2)

Part two. Enjoy.
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The whole class already knew about the rumors of the contest by the very next day.

"I heard you guys will be competing against Kagurazaka-senpai, and Nao has to strip if he loses?"

"What's the point of you stripping? It obviously has to be Aihara or Ebisawa who does it!"

Seemed like there was something strange about the information they received. As for Terada, she was looking at me with tears in her eyes while saying,

"I am really happy to see Nao being that motivated about conducting!"

No, you're wrong. I am not the least bit motivated.

The rules of the contest were really simple. Senpai's class will be competing against our class, and the winner will be the class which gets the higher score. There's a total of twenty four classes in our school, and even though they will only announce the results of the top five rankings, but...... "It will be impossible for both classes to miss the rankings, because my class will definitely get ourselves within the top five" - that was what Senpai said confidently.

"Meaning that Kagurazaka-senpai will be stripping if we win?" One of the idiotic guys said that, which stirred up those around him.

"Everyone, lend me your strength!"

All the guys raised their fists in the air in response to Chiaki's cry. Please! What are you guys so excited about? However, I was most surprised at how Mafuyu said, "I am willing to be the accompaniment during our practices".

"Princess...... is that really okay?"

Terada was on the stands when she asked that question worriedly. 'Princess' is a nickname which Terada came up for Mafuyu after much difficulty, and now the rest of the girls in class are addressing Mafuyu by that as well. It may seemed like they are doing it out of respect for Mafuyu, but in reality, it's their way of teasing her.

"It's okay. I cannot sing well anyway."

Mafuyu glanced at me as she said that.

"It should be fine if it is only during the practices. I can do it if Naomi composes the accompaniment."

I nodded my head without even thinking. Mafuyu has actually said she wants to play the piano...... is she that desperate to win?

It should be easy to compose the piano accompaniment for the set piece. Mafuyu should be able to play it despite the number of mobile fingers she has if I omit a few notes. Also, she should still be way better than those without any experiences in the piano.

"Let's do just that. We'll come up with the rest of the plans after we are done selecting our choice piece."

Mafuyu agreed to Chiaki's suggestions.



On the same day after school, we sent two guys over to Kagurazaka-senpai's class to spy on what our enemies had chosen for their choice piece, but...... only one of them came back.

"In order to let me escape, he...... ugh......"

The survivor gagged and said no more. What's with the exaggerated acts!

"But...... it should be fine! He is a really patriotic guy, so he will never reveal our class no matter what sort of torture they put him under!"

"They'll find out from his badge......"

"Ahh, I see. We're done for!"

Our spy went into a frenzy from that tsukomi of mine. Are you retarded!? Even without the badge, there should be at least someone who can recognize him by his face!

"So did you two find out what their choice piece is?" Terada asked.

"Nope. We were arguing on the topic of the girls' uniform. That guy rejected my notion of cheerleader outfits, so I couldn't help but to protest. And we were caught like that."

"You guys are absolutely useless."

"You two don't have to come back!"

Having seen their retarded acts, my drive - which was barely there to begin with - sunk even lower.

The recordings of last year's chorus contest dealt us the critical blow. The winner was the First Class of First Year - in other words, it was Kagurazaka-senpai's class.

The person with her hair coiled up and wearing a formal tuxedo was none other than Kagurazaka-senpai. Their choice piece was Niimi Tokuhide's ensemble piece <Kikoeru>. The different tempos of the song were clearly distinguishable, and that was coupled by a meticulous ensemble. We were enchanted by them despite us watching the video while sitting on the hard and uncomfortable chairs of the classroom. [TLNote: 聞こえる (Kikoeru), roughly translated as 'To be Heard']

"It's no wonder they got first......"

"It's said they are the first ever first-years to win the contest."

My classmates discussed quietly in the dark. Looks like we have no chance of victory. Well, I'm okay with Senpai winning ever since the beginning.

In order to handicap herself, Senpai suggested a one versus three battle. It may seemed like we had three times the advantage over her, but since the contest is a fight between the classes, we did not manage to gain any actual advantage from it. The only thing unchanged was her admirable use of sophistry which placed her in an favorable position on the battlefield.

I gave a weak sigh. At the same time, I could feel a gaze piercing through my cheeks - Mafuyu was staring hard at me from her seat beside me.

"U-Urm...... What?"

From the moment the video ended till the lights in the classroom was switched back on, Mafuyu continued staring at me.

"Do you really think we can't win?"

Mafuyu finally spoke as our classmates began to leave the audiovisual room.

"But...... you did see the video just now, right?"

"That performance...... looks more impressive than it actually is."



"What Comrade Ebisawa said is right~"

That's what Kagurazaka-senpai said during the band practice that day.

"There are a few techniques that will help increase the chances of winning the chorus contest. For example, you can deliberately emphasize the strength of the voices; choosing a polyphonic piece; waving the baton in exaggeration...... and so on."

"I see......"

"Also, all the judges are inexperienced in music!" Chiaki added in. So that's the reason why Mafuyu said it looked more impressive than it actually was? Because it was a performance to bluff the laymen?

"Wrong."

Mafuyu shook her head as she continued tuning her instrument.

"It's to bluff 'the laymen who were forced to become judges but are unwilling to show their lack of expertise'."

...... I see. Any amateur or profession will be able to discern if the performance is good or bad. However, they will try to find 'reasons' to decide whether they should be awarding high or low marks to the performance. And that's where our cunning Senpai was aiming at with her tactics.

"I would have adopted a different strategy if the judging criteria is based on the polls of the student population. But since there were only four judges, it will be much better to choose a piece that will cater to their tastes."

"That reminds me - considering Senpai's class, your choice piece was really conservative."

I thought they will choose rock as their choice piece, but their selected piece that sounded way more like the performance of an ensemble. It was kind of disappointing.

"One of the judges of last year was the social studies teacher, who advocates freedom."

I sighed. Senpai had actually considered even the tiny details...... The song <Kikoeru> which they sang was composed during the Gulf War. It is a song that advocates peace and the conservation of nature. It must have struck a chord with the social studies teacher.

"So...... what will your class be singing for this year?" asked Chiaki.

"We've decided to do rock."

"Eh? Which song?"

"It's a secret. My assistance to the enemies will end right here."

Senpai grabbed her guitar and stood up.

"Let's begin our practice! We can't just focus on the chorus contest alone - our school's festival is approaching as well."



Senpai is the only one out of the four members of Folk Music Club who cycles to school. That means that while on our way to the train station after our practice, we can make use of the time to discuss our battle plans.

"When's the latest we can decide on our choice piece? This weekend? Then we'll have to think harder~"

Chiaki swung her bag around as she walked in the middle of the shopping street. Her eyes were burning with the passion that is possessed only by members of the sports clubs, and that made me feel all worned out.

"Who are the judges this time?"

Mafuyu asked from the other side of me.

"The principal and Miss Maki are the fixed judges for each year. Who else is there......"

Miss Maki is the music teacher, and she's also the supervisor for our Folk Music Club. That's the reason why Chiaki asked, "That means we can bribe Miss Maki, right?"

"Problem is, Kyouko will be a step ahead of us if it can be done," replied Mafuyu. They ignored the presence of me who was in between them, and continued exchanging their opinions enthusiastically.

"Nao!"

Someone stomped me all of the sudden, which nearly caused me to fall.

"You are always daydreaming! Can you please be more enthusiastic about this!? Is it okay for you to lose to Senpai?"

Chiaki pulled her face close to mine. As we were standing in the direct middle of the crowded street right in front of the station, the stares from the passerby felt really uncomfortable.

"Because I don't think we can win."

"So you want to go to the concert with Kyouko?"

Mafuyu came to my front and questioned me with a stinging glare from her eyes.

"No, it's not like I particularly want to......"

"Be clear about it!"

"Why is Mafuyu so concerned about all this? I can understand the reason why Chiaki's angry, but......"

"Oh? So you know why I am angry?"

Chiaki asked in a really belittling tone. I nodded my head without confidence. It's because Chiaki likes Senpai, and having heard Senpai saying that she wants to go on a date with me— she would not feel that great even if Senpai meant it as a joke, right? Chiaki knitted her forehead and sighed when she heard my explanation.

"Mafuyu, our enemy is probably not Senpai, but the denseness of this idiot."

"I feel the same as well."

Mafuyu agreed without hesitation. For an instant, she looked at me as though she had something to say. However, she turned her head away immediately and walked quickly towards the station. Chiaki made a face at me and caught up with Mafuyu.

I remained rooted on the ground for quite a while due to my confusion. When I ran down the stairs after realizing I have to chase them, the doors to the train was already closed.

I sat on a bench on the platform in exhaustion. A voice then suddenly came from behind me,

"Looks like it will be an easy victory for me."

I nearly fell off from the bench. I turned my head around and saw Kagurazaka-senpai standing behind me with a crafty smile on her face.

"...... Why are you here?"

Didn't she cycle back home on her bicycle already!?

"I was planning to scout on your battle plans, but it seems like it was an unnecessary move."

Senpai sighed and sat down next to me.

"In any case, Senpai had already won the moment you suggested the idea of a contest, right? The one versus three handicap is pointless. We have no chance of winning!"

Right after I was done saying that, Senpai stared at me with a slightly shocked expression on her face.

"Young man, it seems like you have some misunderstandings about me~"

"What did I misunderstand?"

"You should know very well that I will only fight battles I will win. The other mantra of mine is...... I will never fight in a battle if it cannot even be considered as one."

Senpai placed her hand on my thigh.

"I joined this battle because I believed that young man, Comrade Ebisawa and Comrade Aihara are worthy to be my opponents. This contest is not a pointless one, and I do not want an empty victory either."

The announcements of the incoming train was broadcasted over the station. Senpai gently moved her body away and stood up.

"However...... the current you is unable to compete against me. Forget about one versus three - the three of you added together is not even on par with just half of me. What a shame."

I listened blankly to the sounds of the incoming train as well as the footsteps of Senpai as she climbed up the stairs before she disappeared from my sight. However, I was unable to pry my back away from the bench for a long time.

She believed that we are her worthy opponents.

But the current me is—



The next day, it was our class' turn to use to use the music room after school. Since we had not yet decided on our choice piece, we started by practicing on our set piece.

K618 <Ave verum corpus> is one of Mozart's masterpieces. It's a simple song that is easy for the different parts to practice on their own. The only thing is, it will not be easy to gather the four different separated lines of soprano, alto, tenor and bass, and blend them together into a single song. It is difficult for a layman to grasp the techniques of the harmony - now add on the fact that the thirty plus voices before me were all singing on their own. I was beginning to feel at a lost of what to do as I held the baton in my hand.

"Nao!"

Chiaki, who was standing on the front row together with the other altos, had her eyebrows arched upwards.

"Hey! If all it takes to conduct is to stand there and swing your hands to the left and right like a metronome, then I know how to conduct too!"

"The only thing about you that is worth mentioning is your knowledge in music! So please do better than that!"

"That's right, you won't be able to be your father's successor like this!"

Oi! Don't lump me up together with him! I placed the baton on the music stand. I was rather pissed off. Hey, I'll be really troubled if you push the blame of the disharmony onto me as well!

An awkward silence filled the music room for a short while. The person who broke the silence once more was Chiaki.

"How about this - we'll head outside."

Eh? W-What? Our classmates were stirring up quite a commotion thanks to Chiaki's words, but Chiaki turned to face the piano and continued,

"Mafuyu, please teach that idiot properly. We'll go to the corridor to practice within our own sections."

There were some who objected and said they did not want to leave the air-conditioned comfort of the music room, but Class-rep Terada agreed to the suggestions of Chiaki. And so, my classmates began walking out of the room to the corridors, leaving behind a surprised me as well as Mafuyu, who was still sitting at the piano.

What the heck is going on here? Just what is Chiaki planning?

I tried my hardest not to come into eye contact with Mafuyu, and sat myself before the music stand.

I could hear the singing of my classmates coming from outside of the heavy metal door of the music room. Not just that, but all the classes in school were practicing at this time as well. The voices of hundreds of people were all mixed up together, though it did not sound clear.

"...... Do you still want to be the conductor?"

Mafuyu asked me softly.

"I am not against it......"

It's just that everyone seemed to have some sort of weird expectations of me - it was the same for yesterday with Kagurazaka-senpai as well. I hate it. They thought we can win the winners of last year just because I critique music? A conductor is not a magician!

"I can understand your feelings......"

As my view was blocked by the cover of the piano, I was unable to see the expressions of Mafuyu while she was mumbling those words.

"I feel..... that a conductor is unnecessary for an ensemble that is made up of laymen."

"...... Mmm, you're right."

"Why?"

"Well, no one has any spare attention left to take note of my baton. They already have their hands full with the scores before them. The laymen ensemble will have depend on the accompaniment of the piano. But even the accompaniment is not—"

I stopped my sentence halfway.

Everything I had said till then was correct. Those without music background will be unable to sing along to the conductor, while an inexperienced accompaniment will only play the piano at his own pace, so there is absolutely no need for a conductor. However—

I stepped onto the conductor's stand once more and exchanged sights with Mafuyu. It was as though her eyes were asking me this — why did you think I volunteered to be the accompaniment?

That's right. Our accompaniment is not selected just because she 'happens to learn the piano before', which is a reason that can be seen in nearly every other classes.

The accompaniment is none other than Mafuyu.

There's Mafuyu and I — a weapon which Kagurazaka-senpai's class does not possess.

I gently lifted the baton off the music stand. Mafuyu's shoulders responded sensitively to my actions.

I waved the first note slowly, as though I was trying to pierce a needle in the air. The song is just forty-six bars long. Despite the solemn tune, it did not affect the litheness to each and every bar and beat—

The melody of the piano began making its steps forward. I was in total control of the tempo, and it almost felt like I could even scoop up each individual notes with my hand...... Since the tune is something I had composed specially for Mafuyu, it is made up of only the most basic triad. The delicate sounds would perfectly coordinate itself to the slightest movements of my fingertips. I thought I could even feel Mafuyu's breaths. The song began to play in my ears - the main melody switched its scale to A Major. The mood of the tune then became slightly darker, and the scale was changed to F Major.

The crystal clear voices of prayers echoed against the tall ceilings of the cathedral before being absorbed by the baton in my hand, which was pointing to a faraway place. The area around us finally returned to silence.

When the piece was over, I stared at the blackboard at the back of the music room for a long while. I could feel my strength flowing away from my body.

I slowly stepped down the stand and made my way towards the piano. Mafuyu's face was dyed with a faint red. She shifted her gaze away when she realized I was looking at her.

"I'm sorry, Mafuyu...... and thank you."

"All I did...... was to play to your conducting."

I focused my attention on Mafuyu's right hand, which was resting on the keyboard...... the hand of hers that is different from everyone else's.

Mafuyu used that hand for my sake—

"Ah! I did not do it for you!"

"Ah...... no, you obviously did not do it for me, so...... why? Because you want that ticket?"

"No! Y-You and Kyouko......"

Me and Kagurazaka-senpai? Is there something wrong with us attending the concert together? But Mafuyu's face turned red as she was halfway into her sentence, and she did not say anything else for a while.

"Geez! You idiot!"

In the end, she said that and began to slap my arms hard repeatedly. Just as I was about to grab her wrist to stop her from doing that, Mafuyu slapped my hand away with her face flushed red. She was looking past me and towards my back—

I turned around in shock. The door of the music room was opened unknowingly to form a tiny slit, and my classmates were all peeking at us through the slit.

"Darn! It's over already?"

"The squabble between you two is really short!"

"That's so boring!"

It's not like we exist for your viewing pleasure!

Chiaki gave me a hard stomp on my ass. By the time we resumed our practice, there was not much time left for our class to use the music room. However, that practice made me feel like I had finally caught hold of the edges of Kagurazaka-senpai's tuxedo.

After the practice was over, Mafuyu and I were left alone once more when the both of us went to the music library to return the baton and the scores.

"Mafuyu, can you play the accompaniment for the actual performance as well?"

I quietly asked Mafuyu that question while returning the scores back to the racks in the dark storeroom. Mafuyu stared at my face before lowering her head.

She can't? Those inerasable scars of Mafuyu was something inflicted to her while she was on the stage. Even though she can play the piano during our practices, if we are talking about her playing under the spotlights—

But...... the sounds of her piano plays an important role in guiding our class throughout the whole song. We will definitely have to depend on Mafuyu's accompaniment so that the chorus to coordinate themselves to my conducting much better.

It was then when I suddenly thought of something......

"Then...... how about this. At the very least......"

Mafuyu listened to my request with a helpless expression on her face. After much deliberation, she finally said to me hoarsely,

"...... Do I have to?"

"Mmm, yes!" I nodded my head calmly.

"So that means you do not want to attend the concert with Kyouko?"

"No, that's not it." For some unknown reason, Mafuyu was particularly persistent about that. To me, it does not matter who gets the ticket. It's just—

"I want to beat Senpai. I want to show Senpai the things that you and I can do together, so I will definitely need your help."

Mafuyu bit her lips. Her gaze fell to the floor.

So it still can't do huh...... Just as I was about to apologize to Mafuyu, she suddenly lifted her head and said,

"...... I understand....... I will give it a try."

I grabbed her by her hands and swung them around emotionally.

With that, we might finally be on par against Senpai - for the set piece anyway. So what is left...... is the choice piece.

Senpai said we deserved to be her opponents. Senpai believed in me. Chiaki believed in me. And Mafuyu believed in me as well.

I will never let her have the chance to say things like 'an easy victory' again.



Prior to the band practice that day, I decided to make a trip to the music preparatory room to ask Miss Maki some questions...... meaning, I'll be investigating on the judges.

"There's no point in bribing me."

Miss Maki said that to me straightaway as I stepped into the room. Her hair was rolled up and she was wearing a pure white blouse together with a tight skirt - this music teacher of ours looked just the perfect teacher who has stepped out of a guy's fantasy, but in actual fact, she is a violent lady who acts on her whims.

"Because I have to go along to the preferences of the head! And I'll even have to say things like, 'Ara, Mrs Hayase has such incredible sense of music! Ohohohoho~'. What a pain......"

What appeared in my mind was the face of another judge — Mrs Hayase, the head teacher of the second year. She looked like an idle and rich lady, but she is actually a really strict middle-aged woman.

"Please do not reveal those complicated inside-stories to your students without any reservations!"

"But you are here for these complicated inside-stories, right? You are trying to bribe me so that you can beat Kagurazaka."

Since when did I ever say anything about bribing? Also, that means that the details about our contest against Senpai had reached the ears of the teachers already?

"No, I am just here to check on the judges' preferences in music."

"How much?"

"Eh?"

"How much are you paying me?"

Oi! Damn you! You just said you will not be accepting my bribes, and now you are asking me to bribe you!? I gripped hard on my knees to suppress my anger, and squeezed out the following words,

"In exchange, I'll give you the cream puffs sold at the pastry shop next to the station."

"I'll take four of those!"

Damn her for taking the opportunity to ask for a bribe......

"You should know that our principal's a Christian, right? He was the one who chose the set piece, so you will not go wrong if you choose gospels or things like that. For years, it is likely for the judge who is chosen by the students to award high scores to rock and pop music. As for Mrs Hayase, her preferences are hard to grasp. She likes movies and TV series, so you guys can try investigating along those lines?"

"How do we go about investigating it? By asking her directly? But I have never attended her lessons before, nor have I spoke with her even once."

"Who knows? Come up with something by yourself. Kagurazaka had already asked her."

Ah! So Miss Maki had said the same things to Senpai as well? Seemed like we were a step behind her.

"Mmm, I am craving for some pastries already! It's all up to you now, Nao!"

As I was angry at Miss Maki's demand for bribes, I ended up buying only a single cream puff and cutting it up into quarters before giving it to her. It's obvious I was severely beaten up by her.



It's not like Miss Maki's information was totally useless though. We do at least know we have to focus our attention on Mrs Hayase.

I subconsciously went to the staff room in an attempt to look for Mrs Hayase. However, Kagurazaka-senpai was already in the office. She was at the table of the head of second year.

I hid myself behind a compartment wall and peeked at them. Mrs Hayase was grabbing onto Kagurazaka-senpai and lecturing her. Not surprised here. Kagurazaka-senpai is a bad student who hardly attends lessons, so it's likely for her to be summoned to the staff room occasionally and get lectured by the teachers, right? But upon listening closer, their conversation had unknowingly turned into things like, "Right, right! That's the song! I do not know the name of the song, but I had heard it in a movie's soundtracks before......" "Ah..... then it is probably......" Senpai's techniques in getting others to talk is something really scary......

I then thought of something—

All I need to do is to stay close to Senpai and slowly piece together the information which she had gathered, right?

No, but...... that will mean we are progressing at the same pace as Senpai. We will have to overtake Senpai by a huge distance if we want to defeat her.

The conversation between Kagurazaka-senpai and Mrs Hayase was already over while I was still thinking about all those things. How can this be!? I had actually missed the important details at the most crucial moments!



"It seems like the First Class of Second Year has already decided on their choice piece."

The news came to us the next day after school. It seemed like the First Class of Second Year is very enthusiastic about the contest as well. Not only were they putting up defenses against our spy, they even rallied together to berate him when he went to the music room to gather intelligence. Regardless of all that...... he still managed to bring us precious information.

"I could hear them clapping to the beats. They are clapping and singing at the same time, so it should not be the set piece, right?"

"What type of song was it?"

Chiaki strangled the spy's neck in an attempt to squeeze out all information from him.

"I-I have nothing else. All I heard was just that."

"If they have decided on their choice piece, then they should have submitted it to the students' council already. We should know if we check it there?"

Terada's glasses gave a gleam right after she heard that suggestion of a certain guy.

"Alright! Go!"

Terada's really scary! Our spy flew out of the classroom right after her instructions, and he was back within five minutes.

"It's crazy! The students' council room has turned into a battlefield! The killing auras of the students are getting stronger as it gets closer to the contest."

"That is of no importance. Did you manage to get your hands on any intel?"

Terada's voice was incredibly harsh. It felt like she was pressing for his answers by stepping on his head with her shoes.

"Yes Boss! There were a stack of papers piled on their table, which looks like the registration forms. I did my best and snapped a picture of it with my handphone.

They were already working so hard (in a wrong manner) for the chorus contest, so what sort of crazy stunts will our class pull when it's time for our sports day? I shuddered at the thought of that, but I still took a look at the screen of my classmate's handphone.

The first thing I saw was the messy table with papers and stationery scattered on top of it. A familiar piece of paper was clipped beneath the cover of the contest brochures...... it's the paper used to write down the selected choice pieces. I can make out the '2-1' characters written in the blank for the class, but—

"We can't see the name of the song as it is all covered up! You are really useless!"

The spy could only tremble from the cold and harsh words of Terada — the cover of the brochure had overlapped the area which is used to fill the names of the choice pieces.

"Wait We can still see the edge."

Said Mafuyu, who was looking at the screen together with me. Our foreheads almost came into contact with each other.

"What's written on it? The image quality is bad."

"It's probably written in shorthand."

Mafuyu turned the screen horizontally and squinted at the screen. She then said in a soft voice,

"What's written on it is — Queen."

Queen?

A strange voice escaped from my throat.

Sparks of fire burst all over the place. The various thoughts in my mind linked themselves together into a line in an instant.

"Do you know what it is?"

I nodded my head in response to Mafuyu's question.

The band, Queen.

They are a legendary rock band from England, famous for their beautiful and catchy melodies as well as their rich chorus — if we are choosing rock for our choice piece, songs from Queen will definitely be the best choice.

I recalled Miss Maki's words once more—

The principal will like gospels. As for the students' representative, they will usually award high marks to rock or pop songs. Kagurazaka-senpai should have obtained information similar to mine. She also got some information from her conversation with Mrs Hayase, and Senpai did say earlier they will be going down the path of rock this year.

Combining all of the points above...... and assuming they had chosen a song from Queen—

"I could hear them clapping to the beats."

"...... I got it."

"Eh?"

"I know the piece Senpai chose."

Chiaki stared at me as well.

"A song from Queen, clapping to the beats, and has a gospel feel to it...... there is only one song which fulfills the above mentioned criteria and is usable for the chorus contest."

Even Chiaki realized what the song was as well. We said the name of the song together at the very same time.

"<Somebody to Love>."



"Is it okay to choose the same song as them?"

Mafuyu popped the question as we sat on the bench at the platform while waiting for the train home.

Right after that, the Third Class of First Year immediately submitted the name of our choice piece to the student's council room, and it is none other than <Somebody to Love>. After much consideration, I decided that the only way we can win is to choose the same song as Senpai's class for our choice piece.

"They will compare us to Senpai's class if we are singing the same song as them."

Chiaki was obviously feeling uneasy about it as well. I deliberately ignored their expressions and replied,

"Senpai's class is indeed stronger than ours when it comes to singing. We will not be able to compete against them in that. However......"

I was not that confident as well, so I could not look straight at their face. I could only stare at my opened palms.

"If that's the case, it will be the same regardless of the song we choose. Therefore, we must use the weapons that only we possess."

"Weapons?"

In <Somebody to Love>, the main vocals are sung by a six-part chorus. Despite sounding like a gospel, it is still of the classical rock songs.

"We have a bassist, a guitarist and a drummer in our class."

Chiaki stared at me with her eyes opened wide.

"...... U-Us?"

I nodded.

Since Senpai said she has a one against three disadvantage, we shall make full use of our advantage without hesitation. Me, Chiaki and Mafuyu are all we need to form a rock band. That is the unique weapon of ours which Senpai's class do not have.

"But...... putting the guitars aside, the organizers will definitely not allow us to place the drum set on the stage! What should we do about that?"

"I have two sets of mini electronic drums at my house, so let's use that. The volume should be just right so long as we have a set of speakers. It's the same as how you will normally drum, so it should be easy."

The train was arriving before we knew it. The noise produced as it approaches the station sounded as though it was attempting to crush the surging emotions within me. I shoved the oppressive feeling aside and stood up between the two girls. I stood by the safety line and turned my head backwards to look at the surprised Chiaki as well as Mafuyu, who was giving off a vexed expressions through her eyes.

"— Let's rock!"